Founded by Muzalema Mwanza, Safe Motherhood Alliance kits contain tools for midwives in Zambia delivering babies in under-resourced clinics or at home births. Each kit includes basic items like a scalpel, sanitary pads, a hygienic sheet and cotton swabs, a list often given to prospective mothers to provide themselves when they arrive at hospitals to give birth.

Inspired by Mwanza’s own experience of giving birth to her first child, Safe Motherhood Alliance now produce thousands of kits each month, selling them through twenty clinics directly to prospective mothers and midwives in an effort to reduce infections among newborns.

Chelmis Thiong’o, from Kenya, came second with Sign-IO, a smart-glove that tracks and translates sign language movements into speech in real time. The team behind Sign-IO were also selected as winners of the public vote, the [email protected] Africa 3.0 People’s Choice Award. Third place was presented to Anne Rweyora from Uganda with Smart Havens Africa, a social enterprise which aims to end housing poverty through the development of sustainable, eco-friendly affordable housing for women.

[email protected] Africa is a collaboration between the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation and [email protected], an initiative founded by The Duke of York in 2014 as a platform to amplify and accelerate the work of entrepreneurs. The event saw engineering entrepreneurs shortlisted for the 2019 Africa Prize pitch their innovations directly to an influential audience from the worlds of entrepreneurship, technology, media and investment.

Speaking at the event, HRH The Duke of York said “Tonight we heard from entrepreneurs from across Africa, with 17 brilliant businesses coming from six countries. Listening to these entrepreneurs has been inspiring beyond measure, and I would just like to thank them for all they have done.

“This is a very special event in our calendar, and it is a great privilege to work alongside the Royal Academy of Engineering. The Academy have a huge network across Africa and do a great amount to encourage entrepreneurial activity, without whom [email protected] Africa would not be possible. Together we can help to showcase some of the great things going on in sub-Saharan Africa.”

[email protected] was set up by The Duke of York in recognition of the profound role entrepreneurship plays, and will continue to play, in the future of the UK and global economies. The initiative supports entrepreneurs by providing them with the opportunity to access mentors and advisers, distribution systems and supply chains, connections and investment. Since its launch in 2014, [email protected] has helped 802 startup businesses to create 3,669 new jobs and generate over £890 million of new economic activity.

Now celebrating its fifth year, since its inception the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation has supported 72 ambitious and talented engineers from 12 countries in sub-Saharan Africa to apply their skills to develop scalable solutions to local challenges.

The entrepreneurs who took part in [email protected]Palace Africa 3.0 are currently part way through an intensive programme of training and mentorship delivered by the Academy. Each year, all shortlisted entrepreneurs receive eight months of bespoke business mentoring, training, and networking opportunities, to enable them to turn their prototypes into profitable businesses with genuine economic and social impact.

In addition, Funmi Adewara from Nigeria-based Mobihealth International took part in [email protected] Africa 3.0. Mobihealth International is a healthcare service platform designed to revolutionise access to healthcare services in developing countries.